


Sleep-Curse Walking

by Mimzy_Whimzy



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: M/M, Nightmares, Post-Canon, Post-Kingdom Hearts III, Rage form Sora, Sleep Curse, True Love's Kiss, awkward confessions, counter curse gone wrong, dreameater link
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-18 23:21:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29616996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mimzy_Whimzy/pseuds/Mimzy_Whimzy
Summary: Sora and Riku's joint mission to the Enchanted Dominion turns sour when they run into their old enemy, Maleficent. The witch leaves Sora unable to wake until they make it back to the Tower.Things return to normal after the scare, but would Maleficent's curse really be so easy to break?
Relationships: Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 27
Kudos: 90
Collections: Soriku Big Bang 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Cover artwork by the amazing Nini! [Follow their Twitter!](https://twitter.com/PasdedeuxRue)

  


Nightmares were a common thing for Sora after they made it back from Shibuya. Riku guessed they’d been prevalent even before then, but with everyone on separate missions before the war, they didn’t spend a whole lot of time together until now. 

Riku discovered that he could dive into Sora’s dreams completely by accident, feeling a tug in his sleep one night and following it only to find himself smack in the middle of the Keyblade Graveyard, watching their friends get picked off by the demon tide, one by one. 

An event that Riku didn’t recall. In his memory, Sora charged forward and defeated the demon tide nearly on his own. With aid from hundreds of ancient keyblades, of course. But the scene that played out before him, Riku had never seen. 

Riku tensed as a feeling spiked in his senses. An intense feeling not his own, but left him breathless and empty. He was jolted out of his thoughts by a scream. Ahead of him, Sora was on his knees. 

“Sora!” Another too familiar voice spoke. How had Riku missed himself as part of the crowd during the demon tide’s attack? Riku watched as the dream of himself rushed toward Sora's side. 

Riku was unable to hear if the two said anything at that time. Dream-Riku kneeling by Sora’s side before standing. And Riku watched as the dream version of himself walked toward the swarming demon tide. 

As his other walked, Riku felt a growing panic rise in his chest. An intense fear that didn’t belong to him. The feeling grew more and more intense with each step the dream-Riku took. 

Then the scenery began to shift. The edges of Riku’s vision blurring and darkening. When the blurry image of himself stopped and raised his keyblade the foreign panic in him flared, pulling Riku to his knees. 

That night, Riku was jolted awake by Sora’s screams. It wasn’t uncommon, Sora had had plenty of bad nightmares in the weeks he’d been back. He wasn’t often able to talk about them, and Riku didn’t pry, just held him close until he could calm down. 

More often than not, they’d make their way to the tower's kitchen after these episodes and they’d make hot chocolate, Sora always asking for extra marshmallows even when Riku already added more. 

After this particular event though, Riku brought it up to Yen Sid, who reminded him of the dreameater link that they’d forged way back during the Mark of Mastery exam. The old wizard theorized that Riku was still Sora’s dreameater, and therefore could have some sort of control over his dreams. 

Riku made it his mission to learn as much as he can about this link and the Dreameater powers after that. If he could help Sora with his nightmares, he would do it. 

* * *

“Riku! You made it!” Sora turned to him with a wide grin as the nightmare around them faded into a serene landscape. 

“I did.” He couldn’t hold back a grin of his own. He’d been studying their dreameater link for weeks now, slowly getting a handle on how it works and how to banish the nightmares. Sora had been hesitant with the plan at first, not wanting Riku to worry over him so much. But when both he and Riku started arriving late to morning training with bags under their eyes from lack of sleep, the brunet relented. 

He wasn’t always successful, sometimes unable to dive, sometimes arriving but not knowing how to make the nightmare go away. It took time, but Riku feels he’s finally getting the hang of it.

“So where did you send us to this time?” Sora asked, looking around them at the new dream Riku had conjured. Riku looked around too, he hadn’t consciously picked out this one so he wasn’t sure himself. But one look around the tall greenery and glowing flower fields and he knew. 

“Oh, this is one of the dream worlds, the one where we had to find those ‘sound ideas’.” 

“Really? Cool! This isn’t anything like the areas I visited there.” He walked toward one of the little hanging bell flowers, poking at the musical plant until it jingled sofly. “They’re so glow-y,” he mused. 

“What kind of places did you go here?”

“I was in the sky!” Sora whirled back around toward him. He excitedly told Riku about the world. How squishy the clouds were when he walked on them and the different kinds of flying dreameaters that he saw. All the while, Riku listened. 

Riku would treasure every moment like this. Both of them asleep, but still together with this unique connection that they have. This link that is only theirs. Riku would vanquish every one of Sora’s nightmares to spend time with him like this if given the chance. 

* * *

The next morning Sora awoke before Riku, bright eyed and eager as he went through his short morning routine and came back only to see Riku still asleep. 

Sora felt a grin stretch across his face and he stepped quietly over to his friend's bed. It’d been a while, but surely Riku was still ticklish. As kids, they’d get into tickle fights pretty often, until they’d both be red-faced from laughter. 

“Ack!!” To Sora’s absolute delight, Riku was most definitely still ticklish. The older teenflinchied awake and squirmed under Sora’s fingers at his sides. But he wasn’t laughing. Sora continued his assault, determined to get him to laugh. Climbing up onto the bed to better reach the other boy as he tried to get away. Sora’s grin growing impossibly wide at the first sounds burbling from his friend. 

“AH- Sor- AHH heh Sora! I can’t- I can’t breathe!” Riku managed to choke out during the onslaught. Sora, proud of this accomplishment, finally gave mercy and stopped his ribbing.

“Had to wake you up somehow!” he spoke, a smug grin still plastered on his face as he looked down on his now awake best friend. Riku was still catching his breath. 

“What’s got you so giddy so early?” Riku asked, faking annoyance at his friend, but the brunet didn’t miss the smile in his voice. 

“We’ve got a mission today, that’s what!” 

“I don’t remember you being this excited for your last mission.” Riku teased as he pushed the other boy off of him so he could get out of bed. 

“Rikuuu!” Sora protested behind him as he made his way to their shared bathroom. 

They made their way down to the kitchens for a quick breakfast and then up to Yen Sid's study for a final briefing of the mission they’d been tasked with. 

“Master.” They both greeted the old wizard when they arrived. 

“Master Riku, Sora. Have you prepared for your mission?”

“Ready to go, Master.” Riku answered for them.

“Good. Now, the Good Fairies are counting on you for this one. You’ll be traveling to their home world.”

* * *

Stepping out of the gummiship, Riku squinted his eyes against the light. Sora found a clearing in the woods where he landed the ship. Far enough away from the castle town that it shouldn’t be discovered. 

“It’ll be a walk, but I didn’t see anywhere closer.” Sora said, following Riku out of the ship. 

“That’s fine. We better get going though. Got all the gear?”

“Yep! Tent and everything!” the brunet grinned, patting his pockets. 

“Thank the fairies for magic pockets.” Riku laughed. Traveling would be much more difficult if they had to carry things in bags. Digging for potions in the middle of a battle would not be ideal. 

They walked for a while, Riku following behind Sora as the excitable brunet hopped around inspecting any little thing that caught his eye. They both immediately pointed out the manicured trees. Every one of them trimmed into cubes, adding a character to the unique scenery around them. 

While the scenery and company was nice, Riku didn’t forget that they were supposed to be here for a mission. Yen Sid had briefed them on the situation; heartless had been sighted closing in on the Castle Town and they’d been tasked with thinning them out. 

Before long, they ran into their first group of heartless. Just a few Shadows and Soldiers that the two of them dispatched easily. Sora taking out the last one with a well placed fire spell as they continue on their way. 

“You should save your mana, we don’t know how many there will be.” Riku warned. 

“Ahh, I’ve got plenty. But I'll space out the spells, I guess.” Sora shrugged, turning back to grin at his friend. 

They battled a few more groups as they walked, the village now in their sight. But as they got closer, they could see something was terribly wrong. The heartless had been growing more numerous as they’d traveled, the quiet fear Riku had as they approached was confirmed as heartless could clearly be seen chasing villagers around. 

“Oh no!” Sora said before the both of them started running to help. A few of the heartless noticed the new arrivals and head their way. _Good._ Riku thought, better to be targeting them instead of the villagers. 

And target them, they did. The two wielders were quickly overrun and surrounded. At his right, Sora cast a powerful thunder spell, wiping out a good portion of their forces, but they kept coming. The few guardsmen, who had been attempting to fight them off before, were now able to get the jump on them. The four of them easily able to cut through the throngs of shadows and soldiers.

The only trouble they had, coming from the elemental ones. Quick little things, flitting about in the air. Seemingly reminded that the guards were also a threat, a number of little things began swarming them again. 

“Aahg!” Riku heard behind him, spinning around toward the voice. Quickly, Riku struck the heartless while they were distracted, the creatures dissolving into dark mist at the swing of his keyblade. 

“All good?” He asked the man as he held a hand to help him to his feet. 

The mad accepted the hand and stood, “Faring much better now that you and your friend are here. Those pests have been attacking the town here for days!”

“Aero!” Sora’s voice filled the air with the spell. Riku and the guard look toward the other teen. The spell created a whirlwind that gathered the remaining aerial heartless into one spot. The other guard backed away and lowered his blade to watch. 

Now with one large target, Sora let loose a strong fire blast into the whirlwind. Even as far away as he was, Riku could clearly see the light from the flames dancing in Sora’s wide, focused eyes. Even using so many powerful spells that day, Sora didn’t even look tired. 

As the flames and wind died down, they looked around the area to be certain that they’d cleared the area. When no more heartless could be found, Riku let out a breath and dismissed his keyblade. Sora doing the same before jogging over, the other guard following him. 

“Got ‘em!” Sora exclaimed excitedly, pumping a fist in the air. 

“Sure did! How are you not tired?” He asked as Sora closed the distance, stopping in front of him. 

“Hmm?” He furrowed his brows, tilting his head in question before grinning again. “Oh, are you tired?” Confusion giving way to a teasing lilt causing Riku to splutter.

“Heh, you wish. I just know I’d be exhausted if I’d used that much high level magic so quickly.”

Their conversation was cut short with a short gasp of pain. Turning back toward the guards that had assisted in the fight, Riku could now see one of them was injured. Holding his side as the other man supported his weight. Beside him, Sora was quick to react, rushing to the man while digging through his pocket. 

“That looks painful. Here, this will help,” Sora offered the man a potion. 

Both Sora and Riku were taken aback when instead of accepting, the man swatted the bottle out of his hand, it shattering on the ground. “Don’t give me your vile fae concoctions!” He shouted, face scrunched in disgust as he glared at the brunet. 

“Hey! What-” Sora started

“George-” The other man started but the angry injured man at his side cut him off. 

“It’s these evil fae that are plaguing the kingdom! Wicked magics and sorcery! You saw what that boy did! Next we know, he’ll turn that sorcery on us!”

“Hey, I’m not-” This time Riku interrupted him, placing a hand on his shoulder and shaking his head when Sora turned to look at him. Together they backed off, leaving the two guards to make their way inside the walled town.

“Guess these people don’t like magic,” Sora said after the men had disappeared behind the wall. 

“Looks like it. No big deal.” Riku responded. Used to world inhabitants not particularly being comfortable in his company. The two of them stayed there for a few minutes longer, watching to see if any more heartless would come for this area, before moving on. 

“You two!” 

They looked back at the entryway, the other guard having returned. Riku took an instinctive step back, thinking for a moment that they’d overstayed their welcome even though they stayed outside the town. The man seemed to have noticed their wariness, as he slowed his approach, raising his hands in the air. “No quarrel, strangers. I just wanted to thank you.” 

“Oh! It’s no problem, sir.” Sora spoke first. 

“Just doing our job.” Riku added. 

“Yes, well, we probably wouldn’t have made it had you two not come along. Fae or not, we’d have been dead men. So, thank you.”

“Right. I’m glad we made it in time. Is your friend okay?” Sora asked. 

“He’ll be fine, too stubborn to let a flesh wound get the better of him.” The man chuckled. “I apologize for his words earlier. Everyone’s a bit on edge.” 

“So we gathered.” Riku said. “Have these ‘fae’ been a problem here?” 

“Oh, yes. There’s talk that the Evil Fairy Queen has returned. There’s been many attacks like this since.”

“Fairy Queen?” Sora repeated, he and Riku sharing a look.

“Do you know where she’d be? We think we can stop these attacks.” Riku asked, determined.


	2. Chapter 2

“So what do you think this ‘Fairy Queen’ is?” Sora asked as they walked. The kind guard had pointed them in the direction of a place he called the ‘Forbidden Mountain’, saying it would be about half a day’s walk. 

“Not sure. A large heartless, maybe?” Riku said, which made sense. The smaller ones did seem to be drawn to the large heartless. All that darkness drawing them in like moths to light, only producing even more of the creatures. 

Sora had fought his fair share of them and more over the years. He knew Riku had too, even if he’d never told him about his own journey while they were separated. He often wondered, but never asked. As he thought about it, Sora glanced up toward his friend at his side. 

Riku had always been taller than the brunet; being a year older, he had the advantage. Sora had always looked up to him just like this. 

Sora’s thoughts halted when Riku stopped. “Sora?” he asked.

“Whu-huh?” He responded, startled at the sound of his name.

Riku huffed fondly a bit at his less-than-eloquent response before he continued, “I was saying that maybe we should make camp for the night.” 

“Huh?” Sora looked at the sky. Sure enough, the sun had dipped down past the treeline. The colors of dusk bleeding into the blue. “It’s that late already?” 

“Yea. And by the looks of it, we’ve got another few hours before we make it to that mountain.” Riku looked ahead, a slight frown on his face as he took in the sight. There in the distance they could clearly see their destination. The eerie castle silhouette surrounded by a dark haze was textbook “Forbidden Mountain” material if Sora had ever seen one. 

The two of them decided it best to continue the journey in the morning. After texting Kairi that they’d be another day, Sora got to work gathering some firewood while Riku set up the tent in a spot out of sight of the trail they’d been walking. They hadn’t seen anyone else out traveling all day, due to the heartless no doubt. But they had to be cautious. 

Sora tossed the tent set he’d stashed in his pockets to Riku before setting off to gather firewood. Sticking close to the clearing they were in, just to be safe. By the time Sora gathered a few armfuls of twigs and fallen branches, Riku had camp set up. 

How the moogles packed so much stuff in a hand sized pouch, Sora will never know. Tent, sleeping bags, toiletries, and even a few essentials for cooking on a fire. They were set. 

Sora prepared a quick meal for the two of them. After which, they turned in for the night without much excitement. Thankfully, the camp set was imbued with moogle-magic that cast a small warding barrier around the camp that would keep the heartless out, erasing the need for the two wielders to keep watch all night long. 

* * *

“HAAAH!” Roxas yelled as he lunged in to attack. Sora rolled to the side to dodge his strike before blocking the next overhead slash by bracing his free hand on his keyblade above him. Roxas took a moment to recover from the halted blow, before knocking Sora’s block back further. Pushing Sora off balance just long enough for him to strike again with both of his keyblades this time. 

Sora landed on his back, blinking stars out of his eyes as the tip of Oathkeeper entered his vision, his Other towered above him, smug grin planted on his face. 

There were a few cheers around them as Roxas dismissed his blades and held his hand out to help him up. 

“Nice one!” Sora said as he took Roxas’ hand to stand. The others approached to join them on the lawn. The magical land of the Mysterious Tower having expanded ever so slightly to accommodate the spontaneous sparring matches that occurred ever so often now. 

“Good match guys!”

“You almost had him!”

Sora only caught a few of the comments as everyone spoke over each other. Xion exclaiming it was her turn now to fight the winner. To which Roxas responded with smug taunts even though everyone knew that he’d never once beaten her in a spar. Aqua commented on their techniques, Ven still so insistent that Roxas teach him how to summon two keyblades at once. 

Sora smiled at the novelty of it all. Everyone together and so happy. Nothing threatened the peace of the worlds anymore, allowing them all to just live their lives. 

Their little bubble of safety warping as Sora spots moving shadows in the bushes, glowing eyes in the shade of the tower. 

Just as quick as they were noticed, they multiplied. Heartless spawning in the open now, surrounding the group of keyblade wielders. Everyone summoned their blades as the lawn quickly became overrun. They scattered, taking out wave after wave. Magic flying through the air in a chaotic clash against the darkness. 

Sora quickly found himself isolated, only briefly seeing glimpses of the others in the maelstrom. He felt a sting in his side, as he was unable to avoid all of the attacks. He fought off as much as he could, hearing the others fighting around him too. 

One shadow disintegrated against the kingdom key, but instead of the dark mist he’d expected to see, it burst into dust and dirt that flew right into his face. Blinking the sting away, he missed as another shadow slashed across his face. Flinging spells left and right, Sora regained control before the mob could completely overwhelm him. 

As he continued to fight, his surroundings started to change in his periphery, The colors of the grass flashing to sandy reds and yellows before returning to the familiar scenery of the Mysterious Tower. 

“AAAAHK” Sora heard a yelp of pain to his right. 

“Ven!” He yelled after the voice, calling for his friend as he attempted to carve his way through the teeming heartless to no avail. 

More and more yelps and gasps of pain fill the air. Sora heard them clearly even through the skittering and squealing of the swarm. Panic rose in him as he looked all around in the directions they came from. The scenery around him flashed and changed with every new voice, the unmistakable sights of the Keyblade Graveyard growing more and more focused. 

Then the voices stopped, the cries of pain dying out into nothing. As Sora stood, panting heavily, in the crossroads while the dark swarm continued on it’s warpath. 

“Aqua! Roxas!” Sora cried desperately for his friends. “Axel! Xion! Terra!” Calling each of their names repeatedly as he fought off the heartless. “Kairi!!” Throat raw from the dry, dusty air and muscles sore from the constant fighting, Sora grew slow. Mana reserves long gone, he could only slash and dodge. The effort to do even that quickly became too much. 

“Sora!” A new voice rang through the air, Sora gasped at the sound of it. The first he’s heard in what felt like forever. Looking up as it’s owner was making his way toward him in the swarm.

“Riku!” His appearance, though not Riku’s usual look, was a welcome, familiar sight. As were the two colorful companions at his side, helping to fight off the threat. The sight of the three of them easing Sora’s panicked mind as he realized they were all in a dream. “You made it!” he said, relief and joy in his voice.

Riku smiled at him, finally reaching Sora at the center of the swarm. The heartless slowed in their spawning, the threat decreasing as Sora gained awareness of the nature of the dream. Together, Riku and Sora fought off the last of the creatures. Their dreameaters helping thin out the group until no heartless remained and they were left standing in the silent center of the Graveyard. 

Sora took a moment to catch his breath, just for it to get knocked out of him again by an excitable meowwow. “Waffles!” He exclaimed at the colorful dreameater, as he licked his face repeatedly. “Settle down, boy!” Sora laughed as he tried to tame the beast. 

“Looks like he missed you.” Riku said, stifling a fond laugh of his own.

“I guess so! I missed you too, boy.” He scratched the dreameater in what he knew were it’s favorite places. The meowwow making appreciative sounds as he nuzzled into Sora, the creature exhausted after all the excitement. Sora looked up at Riku then, not at all surprised that their location had changed around them while he was preoccupied. They were now back on the Destiny Islands. The paopu islet visible behind Riku, who was petting his own komory bat that was perched on his shoulder. 

Scenes like this were becoming more commonplace for the two of them. After the discovery of their dream link, Riku would often show up whenever Sora was having a nightmare. He’d show up, the dream would change, and they’d spend the rest of the night together, having adventures inside of Sora’s dreams. 

That’s what they did this time too, their dreameaters following them as they raced along the beach and even taking a few tries on that old obstacle course. Waffles having a hard time keeping up while Momo, the bat, cheated by flying past all the obstacles, the colorful creature chittering happily as Riku and Sora caught up to it. The joyful sounds made the two teens laugh as well. 

The dream was a nice one, the warmth of the sun and sound of the waves instilling a peace that lingered into the morning. Riku woke slowly, sleep clinging to him even as he took a deep breath. He shook his head as he felt something tickle his nose. Blinking his eyes open to a head full of brown locks. 

The proximity to the other boy wasn’t unexpected, the tent being cramped as it was. But, as Riku became more aware of the feeling in his limbs, he quickly discovered something he wasn’t prepared for. 

Not only was Sora closer than he initially thought, But Riku was holding him there. Now completely awake, Riku moved his arm from around Sora. His heartbeat betraying him as he hoped the brunet wouldn’t notice. Riku freezing his movements as the still asleep Sora nuzzled even closer at the disturbance. 

The younger teens movements only accentuating the fact that, had they not been in separate sleeping bags, their legs would be tangled together with how close they were. A fact that Riku would not allow himself to think about as he scooched away. 

He was able to free himself from his sleeping bag without incident after that. After which, Riku took a moment to calm down his heartbeat. He was usually able to control these feelings, preparing himself for anything while he and Sora were together. It was only in these kind of unexpected situations that things would affect him so much. 

With so many years of practice, Riku was able to let the whole thing fade from his mind as he composed himself and shook Sora awake. They still had a lot of ground to cover that day so it wouldn’t do to waste the daylight. They took the time to eat something and clear the campsite before setting off toward the Forbidden Mountain once again. 

* * *

“Is it me, or is it getting… creepy?” Sora said after they’d been walking for a while. It’d been a few hours and they hadn’t come across a single heartless as they got closer and closer to their destination. 

Although, a few things had been slowly changing as they walked. The landscape, which at first had been lush and green near the village and castle, was noticeably changing. The diverse flora that they’d become accustomed to growing noticeably more withered and dull until the landscape became nearly barren. Riku was almost convinced that it was a different world entirely. 

“Yea” Riku agreed. “Guess it just means we’re in the right place, huh?” He smirked a bit as he met Sora’s eyes beside him.

“Heh, right.” The younger teen chuckled once before grinning and folding his hands beside his head in that oh so familiar pose. “This just has to be the place an “Evil Fairy” would live.”

“Yep, now we just gotta find this “fairy”.”

It remained silent as they walked on, both of the teens on full alert as the landscape continued to deteriorate around them. About mid-afternoon, they found themselves at the edge of a cliff, craggy rocks creating a narrow pathway leading up toward the castle. 

Both boys jumped as the silence was broken around them. Flapping wings and rustling leaves accompanying the cawing of crows as the black birds flew off from their perch toward the ruins of the castle up the craggy path. 

Only seconds passed as the cawing of the crows faded back into silence. But the silence didn’t stay. Their uneventful journey that day had proven foreboding as Riku could feel the darkness in the air shift. 

“Look out!” he warned when he realized the darkness he sensed had gathered right under them. He and Sora jumped back right as a tower of heartless shot from the earth where they’d just been standing. 

Summoning his keyblade, Sora quickly let off a strong thunder spell at the writhing mass. Riku followed suit, summoning his own blade and attacking the group. He and Sora worked together to chip away at it, making sure to quickly take out any shadow that separated before it could rejoin the others. 

Things were going almost too well, the two of them easily dodging the tower's attacks while waiting for openings to land a few of their own. Sora flinging powerful spells at it while Riku covered him. Letting off a few thunders and dark firagas of his own when he found an opportunity. 

This system of theirs worked well for a while. The mass of heartless growing smaller in size as they fought. 

“Gah!” Riku heard Sora yelp as they both dodged in different directions, taking care to stay away from the edge of the cliffs they’d found themselves on.

“Sora!” he called, dodging the heartless again as it became more agitated and unpredictable. The normally yellow eyes of the shadows glowing a furious red. 

In the corner of his eye, Riku saw the green glow of a cure spell. Letting out a sigh of relief as Sora stood again, keyblade at the ready. 

As the heartless swarm continued to attack wildly and unpredictably, the two keyblade wielders were forced to stay on their toes. Dodging attack after attack, they couldn’t get a clear opening to retaliate. 

His stamina quickly waning, Riku caught a glimpse of an also visibly drained Sora and knew he had to find a break in the attacks soon or they were both in real trouble. Sora must have had the same realization and was the first to act. At the next attack, instead of dodging to the side, Sora charged ahead with a yell, hacking away the darkness. Riku jumped in too at the new opening Sora created. The younger teen closing in with a gravity spell keeping the heartless immobile as the two of them tore through the dark opponent. 

They were both knocked back then as the swarm broke away from its binds, Riku instinctively throwing up a dark barrier around the two of them. The impact of the attacks on the magical shield grating as he held it as long as he could. 

Riku grit his teeth as the barrier faltered. Sinking to his knees as the effort to keep it up proved too much. His mana depleting until there was none left and the barrier faded. Riku panted with the strain to stay upright. Blearily he looked up, the swarming heartless’s eyes still glowing the threatening red. 

He felt a hand grasp his and Riku turned toward Sora, just as battered and exhausted as he was, but a fierce determination lit in his eyes as he held Riku’s hand tighter. Riku nodded once, determination and the will to protect flaring in his heart as he adjusted the hold, entwining their fingers. 

They stood together, raising their clasped hands as they felt a familiar energy building within them. A light radiated from them, holding the darkness at bay. Riku couldn’t see them, but he just knew that a pair of special keyblades materialized behind them. Combining into one, their keyblade rose higher as they let out twin yells and struck the remaining heartless swarm with their combined keyblade. 

The last of the heartless faded away as the two of them slumped back down on the path. Riku pulled a few different potions and ethers from his pockets as they had a moment to rest. 

“Is that.. Pete?” Sora pointed toward the castle up ahead after he downed a potion of his own. Following his gaze, Riku clearly saw the large man slipping into a door at the top of the winding path. 

Riku made to stand, Sora doing the same. The potions they drank restored just enough of their energy. “If _he’s_ here then-” he is interrupted by a blast of hot air. Green flames quickly erupted on the path in front of them before receding again. “Maleficent!” He grit as the form of the Witch herself took shape from the embers. 

“Who dares intrude upon my domain?” Maleficent’s icy voice pierced the air as she emerged. Her eyes narrowed as she took in the sight of the two teens before her. 

“So, it was you spreading darkness through this world!” Sora reasoned, taking up a battle stance once again beside Riku. Maleficent's glare narrowed further as it flickered to him. 

“I see, it was you both inciting such commotion. How quaint.” 

“The heartless attacked first.” 

“Only a fool would come uninvited to my home and expect a warm welcome, boy.” 

“This is _your_ home?” Sora asked. The question innocent enough, but considering who they were talking to, the glare he received seemed the most appropriate. “No, no! We really didn’t know you were here. We were told an Evil Fairy was here causing the village and kingdom trouble.” He explained himself as he took a step back under her piercing glare. He grasped Riku’s wrist so he’d follow. 

Riku held his breath as he waited for her to attack, it would not be wise to get into a fight with Maleficent while they were already worn from the heartless. But she said nothing, only glancing at their hands a moment. “‘Evil Fairy.’” She repeated. “So, the foolish peasants still speak of me, do they?” She brought a hand to her chin, looking away from them as she appeared to focus on her thoughts.

“She’s a fairy?” Sora whispered his question to Riku. 

“News to me.” He replied just as quietly. The effort in vain as the fairy in question turned her attention back toward them.

“Your attempts at secrecy are laughable,” she said, unamused. 

“Wait, are you a fairy? Aren’t fairies more…?” Sora trailed off.

“More _what_?” She prompted when he didn’t continue. The ice returned to both her voice and her glare. 

“Sora..” Riku warned. 

“I dunno, more.. nice? All the fairies I’ve met before have been.” Sora kept talking despite Riku’s warning.

“Nice?” Maleficent repeated, the word sounding menacing in her voice. The two teens backing away further down the path as she slammed her staff into the ground. Her anger raging, the residual darkness shifting the air around her causing her robes to flutter with the movement. “Have I not been courteous enough to you intruders? I should have struck you both down upon your arrival!”

“I’m sorry! You have been very kind!”

“Silence! You insolent child!” It happened so quickly, Riku wasn’t sure at first if anything had happened at all. But a quick flash of green followed by Sora collapsing was proof enough that Maleficent must have done something to him. 

Riku caught the boy as he fell limp where he stood. Wisps of green trailing over his body before fading entirely. “Sora! SORA!” Riku cradled the boy close, gently shaking him and patting his face trying to get him to open his eyes, the attempts useless. “What did you do?!” Riku demanded, tears welling in his eyes as he glared up at her. Too late to do anything as he watched the Witch disappear into a blaze of green flame.

“Consider it.. a parting gift.” Her Icy words echoed distinctly around him, followed by the sickening sound of her laughter as she escaped.


	3. Chapter 3

Riku arrived back at the Tower in record time. Opening his first dark corridor in years to reach the gummiship as quickly as possible and speeding between the worlds. Riku couldn’t help thinking that he could have been faster if Yen Sid hadn’t put a ward around the world keeping anyone from reaching it using darkness. But he shook the thought away, they were here now. 

He carried Sora up the magic stairs that shortened themselves to only one flight as the tower sensed his urgency. He didn’t bother with knocking and burst through the door to Yen Sid’s study.

“Master Riku! What happened?” Yen Sid demanded. The old wizard standing from his desk at the disturbance. 

In his arms, Riku held the unconscious form of his best friend. “It’s some kind of sleep spell! Nothing works!” Riku said, panicked breaths escaping him as he laid the boy gently on the floor. 

“Nothing?” Yen Sid asked for clarification.

“Not even a panacea. He’s not- his heart isn’t asleep again is it?” Riku had to focus hard to keep his breathing under control. It wouldn’t do to panic, panicking won't help Sora.

The old master didn’t answer immediately. Riku watched as he rounded the desk and kneeled next to him, Riku’s attention again falling to the sleeping boy in front of him. He looked peaceful, deep in slumber. A face that Riku had seen numerous times since they’d gotten back from Shibuya, as he normally woke before the brunet. 

As he calmed his breathing, Riku couldn’t help the barest hint of a smile to twitch his lips.

Soon enough, Yen Sid completes his observations and straightens up. Riku turned his attention back to the master and the situation at hand. “Anything?” He asks.

“Master Riku, did Maleficent happen to have shown herself on this mission?” He asks.

“Yes, she’s the one who cast the spell. Why?”

“Of course, this magical signature is none other than her doing. Maleficent has an affinity with the realm of sleep, and she takes pride in her ability to alter the magics. The sleep curses that the dark fairy weaves carry their own set of conditions and potent darkness.”

“Wait, curse?” Riku reeled at the word. “It’s not just a spell? How do we break it?” He looked toward Sora’s sleeping face with renewed concern as he felt his heartbeat quicken, the edge of panic creeping back in.

“I couldn’t say, Maleficent is a crafty witch. But I do have a theory. Call for Kairi. Our resident Princess of Heart may be able to help us.”

“How?” Riku asks as he pulls out his gummiphone, texting his friend. She responded within seconds. Kairi was within the tower and would not take long to climb the stairs to the study where they waited.

“With her Light, I believe she can banish the Darkness of this curse and wake him.”

“The darkness of it? Isn’t that like how I fought off the darkness possessing him during the Mark of Mastery? Shouldn’t I dive in and see?” 

“Riku, the Power of Waking has caused us much grief, I would rather we not use it unless absolutely necessary.” The Master's voice was low and mournful. Riku lowering his eyes, deflating. Yen Sid was right of course, but the situations are very different. Riku had done the same thing before, Diving into Sora’s dreams, and it didn’t have any harmful results back then. Riku believed that he could do it, but he does trust the Master’s judgement and wait’s for Kairi to arrive. 

They didn’t have to wait long, the door opening loudly for the second time that day. Kairi entered with frantic breaths, eyes wide as they locked onto the form lying on the floor. 

“What happened?” She rushed to join them at Sora’s side, hands hovering over their friend seemingly afraid to touch.

“Maleficent. She put him under a Sleep Curse.” Riku answered her. His voice calmer than it was before. 

“Can’t we break it?” She relaxed a bit after feeling the atmosphere in the room. 

“I have a theory I’d like you to help me with Ms. Kairi.” Yen Sid spoke then, prompting the two of them to look to him as he stood. 

“Me? How can I help, Master?” The redhead asked. 

“Your Light. I believe the potent Light of a Princess of Heart should be able to purify the Curse. Curses are inherently dark magics, purify it and the curse will be lifted.”

Riku watched as Kairi’s eyes narrowed in determination. Her resolve steeling at the Master’s words. “What do I do?” She asked, determination clear in her voice. 

Despite Riku’s heart telling him just to Dive, Riku trusted in the Master and his friend. Kairi had been training just as hard as they had and she had abilities that no other keyblade wielder possessed. She had talked to Riku about them a number of weeks ago, sharing with him that she wanted to learn as much as she could about the Princesses of Heart, and what being one actually means aside from being a target for multiple evil plans. 

Yen Sid took a moment to instruct Kairi on how to focus her light into a purpose. Riku listened, but his gaze was still trained on Sora, his mind flashing to all the times he’d seen the boy forced into sleep against his will. He found himself frowning, his concern building the longer that Sora slept.

“Alright!” Riku turned to Kairi when she spoke. She moved so she fully faced Sora now and Riku watched her take a deep breath, closing her eyes as she concentrated. Not unlike what Master Aqua had been teaching them about meditation and focusing on their hearts. 

Kairi stayed like that for a few moments before moving her hands to rest them over Sora’s heart. After another moment Kairi’s hands began to glow, her Light being focussed through them and into Sora. Sora’s face showed no sign of reaction to it, but Kairi’s brows were pinched together in concentration. 

Riku wonders if the process is similar at all to a dive, if Kairi can see anything of what is actually happening. Being on the outside just waiting isn’t doing Riku any favors. He stands, fidgeting. When he dove in last time, the Darkness was easy to identify and dispatch. He could do that again, but instead Yen Sid opted to experiment with Kairi’s untapped potential. 

Riku shook his head. Kairi can do this, the process is similar right? Just gotta dispel the darkness trapping him there and Sora will wake. Kairi’s Light can purify, it’s less risky than jumping right into a fight with an unknown force. Riku trusts Yen Sid’s judgement on this. The Power of Waking is too dangerous to keep using whenever something goes wrong. Finding alternatives is top priority. 

So why does it feel so wrong?

The room was then engulfed in bright light. Riku turned back to the source as it subsided, where Kairi was blinking her eyes open and sitting back on her heels. 

“Well?” Riku asked, his voice sounding more anxious than he’d liked. 

“I could sense the Darkness in him, it was surrounding his heart. I think I was able to purify it.” Kairi explained as both Riku and Yen Sid moved to the brunet's side. Yen Sid inspected the boy again as he’d done when they’d first arrived. 

“The Dark presence has indeed vanished. Well done Princess Kairi.” Riku knew Kairi didn’t care much for that title, but she said nothing. 

“But he’s not waking-” Kairi began but was interrupted by a groan. Everyone in the room turned back to the boy on the floor. 

Sora groaned again, squinting his eyes open with a deep breath. “What-”

“Sora!” both Kairi and Riku exclaimed. Kairi wrapped the boy in a tight hug as he sat up. 

“Ughh.. I’m dizzy.” He said, squeezing his eyes closed. “What happened?” 

* * *

“And then she got so mad!” Sora recounted that night at dinner. “‘Nice?! You think I haven’t been KIND to you trespassers?’” He quoted in a shrill voice to imitate the witch. The others unable to hold back their laughter as Sora told the story. 

“No way!  _ That’s  _ why she cast the spell?! HA!” Axel continued to laugh, crossing one arm over his stomach as he wiped tears from his eyes. Roxas and Xion beside him attempting to catch their breaths. 

“Actually, I believe she called him an ‘insolent child’ first.” Riku added with a grin. In the few hours it’s been since Sora woke, the fear and worry Riku felt before had passed. Yen Sid had checked all he could of Sora’s heart after the incident and hadn’t found a trace left of the foreign Darkness, much to everyone’s great relief. Whatever Maleficent had done to him, Kairi’s light had disrupted it. With the threat dealt with, Riku could look back and see how ridiculous and amusing the event was.

Sora had brushed off the whole ordeal pretty quickly. He’d only complained of feeling a little tired, which Master Yen Sid assured was only expected after everything he’d been through. So, though he’d been energetic through dinner, Riku noticed the brunet yawning by the time they’d cleaned up the kitchen and urged him to go to bed. 

Sora didn’t protest as he told everyone goodnight and headed to their room to turn in for the night. 

“He must be more tired than he’d let on.” Kairi observed after Sora had left. 

“Guess so.” Riku said, still looking at where he’d gone. He couldn’t help the twinge of uncertainty that lingered in his mind. 

* * *

Sora awoke from a dreamless sleep to Riku gently shaking his shoulder the next morning. The other teen let out a sigh as Sora blinked the sleep from his eyes. “Riku?” He asked before clearing his throat and stretching. “What is it?” 

“Just making sure you get up for breakfast, sleepyhead. Aqua made pancakes.” Riku said.

“Mmm.” Sora stretched again, sitting up. The promise of Aqua’s cooking enough motivation to get him out of bed. Wait.. It’s breakfast already? “RIKU! You let me sleep through morning practice!?” Since everyone started staying here at the tower most days, Aqua and Terra thought it best that they start up formal keyblade training again. Aqua in particular advocating for morning practice, which was mostly stretching and meditation, before breakfast. 

Sora was completely alert now, Aqua was a pretty strict teacher, Sora often would be reprimanded for falling asleep while meditating. And this time he slept through the whole thing?! 

“Woah, easy. Aqua knows you were hit pretty bad yesterday. It’s fine.” Riku said, easing his worries a bit. Aqua can be intimidating when she’s angry. 

“You must have been exhausted though. Slept nearly a whole twelve hours,” Riku continued. The slight waver in his voice clueing Sora in that he’d been worried. 

“Riku, don’t worry. Look, I’m fine! Awake and everything, see?” Sora gave him a grin. 

“Yea, yea. Well, maybe if you stopped going around insulting fairies, I could stop worrying for your wellbeing.” Riku’s joke evident in his tone. Even so, Sora couldn’t shake the feeling that it was more than that. Since he’d gotten back, everyone had treated him like he was made of glass. It took weeks for Master Yen Sid to let him start going on missions again, and then only allowed to tag along on others’ missions. No one was given solo assignments anyway though, so it’s not like he was being singled out. 

Sora knew that his friends were just worried about him. They’d already lost him once and only wanted to keep him safe. But a small part of Sora felt that it meant they didn’t trust him to take care of himself. 

Sora shook the thoughts out of his head, he knew better. He knew his friends and he knew that they trusted him. Even if he acts before thinking sometimes. He tossed the blanket aside as he hopped up, answering Riku’s statement with his defense. “If she’d made a more convincing fairy I wouldn’t have accidentally insulted her in the first place!” He retorted, hands on his hips as he looked down where Riku was still sitting on his own bed. 

Riku laughed, the older teen standing again.”Well, you still could have kept your mouth shut.” He said with a smile in his voice.

“AHH! You know me, Riku! That is an impossible task!” Sora grumbled as he turned away from him. Grabbing a fresh black tank and gathering the rest of his usual clothes to get dressed for the day. 

Riku chuckled again behind him, so Sora continued with his defense, whirling around to face him once again. “She doesn’t even have wings, Riku! How is she a fairy? She turned into a dragon once!” 

Sora continued to protest the notion as they walked to the dining room, Riku chuckling beside him. 

As expected, they were the last to make it, all the others not on missions already chowing down on breakfast. 

“‘Bout time, Sleeping Beauty! We were getting worried you were cursed again!” Axel exclaimed when he’d spotted them. Sora chuckled at the comment as they joined the group. 

Breakfast went by in a blur, a lot less eventful with most of the younger wielders out on a mission. So it was only the three islanders accompanied by Axel and Aqua. The five of them, the only ones in the tower besides Master Yen Sid himself. 

As the day went by, they were itching to have something to do. Axel eventually challenged Riku to a spar to alleviate the boredom. They all found themselves outside after that, sparring each other in turns.Riku only barely bested Axel who played a little dirty, nearly blinding him with flames. Aqua told him off afterward, lecturing him about safety and restraint. 

After Sora and Kairi congratulated their friend with high fives and fist bumps, it was their turn. 

Sora had seen how much Kairi had progressed in her training, she was nearly on par with him and the others now. 

Aqua, as referee, gave her signal and the spar began. Kairi immediately went on the offensive while Sora blocked and parried her strikes. With an opportunity to knock her back and switch to the offense, Sora fired a barrage of weak fire spells, hoping to overwhelm her. But when the flames receded, Kairi was nowhere to be found. Sora’s eyes darted around him, finding Kairi at his back too late as she struck at him with a “Hah!”. Unable to block, Sora jumped out of the way. 

This back and forth continued for the next minute, those on the sidelines cheering for the two of them. The group of wielders momentarily pausing as a gummiship entered the boundaries of the world above them before landing on the far side of the lawn, marking the return of the group who left for the mission. 

Sora smiled as he heard Roxas and Ven start yelling out to them as they sparred. Still blocking Kairi’s strikes and dodging her blasts of magic, Sora started to feel the strain. His muscles began to ache from how long they’d been at it. 

“When did you get so strong, Kairi?” He managed to ask as he blocked another overhead strike, their blades locked together. They both jumped back, resetting back into their stances and circling each other. 

“Aqua’s a good teacher.” Kairi smiles, pride clear in her voice as she prepared to lunge forward. Sora saw the movement and acted faster, lunging toward her instead to throw her off balance. 

Is what he intended to do. But, all of a sudden, his vision blurred and a pounding in his head prevented him from completing the action. Still lunging toward Kairi, but slower and sloppier than he’d meant.

Sora’s vision went black, the next thing he saw was the grass. He was lying on his stomach, the pounding in his head now accompanied by a throbbing at his side. His vision still swimming, he could see blurred figures of his friends running toward him and kneeling at his side. Their muffled voices called to him as someone helped him upright.

“-eal!” the throbbing in his side stopped. The other pain fading more slowly.

“-m so sorry!”

“You alright?”

“What happened?”

“Are you okay?”

“Did you hit your head?”

Their voices slowly became clearer. 

“Sora, are you with us?” A hand grasped his forearm, the touch like fire. Sora jerked his arm out of the grasp, looking up into bright green eyes. The throbbing in his head finally gone. He looked around himself, all his friends surrounding him, looks of concern on their faces.

“I’m okay.” he smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head as he heard a chorus of sighs of relief.

“You sure? That was a hard hit, what happened?” Aqua asked. 

“Y-yea. I think so? I got dizzy there for a second but it’s gone now.”

“Dizzy?” Axel this time. 

“Do you think you pushed yourself too hard? After what happened yesterday…” Riku didn’t finish his thought. 

Sora made to get to his feet, the others standing with him. “Yea, probably still not fully recovered from that curse or whatever.” he agreed as he brushed grass off of himself. 

“You sure that’s it?”

“Maybe you should take it easy for a while.” Xion suggested. 

“We should get Master Yen Sid to look into it.”

“No, guys I’m fine really! Give it a day or two and we’ll all forget it even happened.” Sora knew they were just concerned. But it wasn’t like him to dwell on things. Just get past it and move on. 

“But-”

“Riku, I’m fine. I don’t want to bother Yen Sid when it’s nothing.”

“Okay.” Riku frowned but otherwise didn’t push it. Hanging back and watching as Sora returned to his cheery self, praising Kairi for beating him and joking with Roxas and Axel. The group returned to the tower for the rest of the afternoon.

* * *

“Sora! You still up for tomorrow? Hayner says there’s a new movie showing!” Roxas calls to him through the kitchen as they cleaned up their dinner mess. Why they had to manually do the dishes when Yen Sid had an army of magical brooms that did the rest of the cleaning around the tower, he’d never know. 

“Definitely! Can’t wait!” The next day had been planned to be a free day for all the wielders weeks ago. No missions the entire day! Aqua suggested it once in a while so that they’re not completely cut off from normal life. A fault that she found apparent in her own training years after traveling the worlds and finding she knew very little.

Whatever the reason, Sora was excited to spend time with his friends.

“You too, Riku!” Xion added.

“Huh? Me?” The silver haired teen asked, looking back to her from the cabinet where he was putting plates away.

“Yes, you! It’ll be fun!”


	4. Chapter 4

“Thanks for inviting me, guys,” Ven said as they exited the magical train connecting Twilight Town to the tower. “Aqua was thrilled when I told her, haha.” he chuckled.

“Wanting some alone time with Terra, I’ll bet.” Roxas snickered, getting a chuckle out of the group. 

“Well, I'm just glad I’m not the only one here that hasn’t met them yet.”

“Aww, don’t worry, Riku!” Sora said, clapping a hand on his shoulder as they walked. “Our friends are your friends too!” he smiles. 

“Afraid of a little social interaction?” Roxas quipped with a smirk, Riku only glaring at him in response. 

“Sora! Roxas!” A voice called, the group of them looking across the commons as the teen waved. Of course, Riku had seen the three of them around before, but this would be his first time meeting them. 

Riku hung back as the others interacted, Pence mistaking Ventus for Roxas and then pestering them with questions. Asking if they were twins, resulting in laughs all around. Even Riku let out a chuckle at their antics. 

“And this is the famous Riku?” the girl, Olette, said. The mention of his name drew Riku’s attention to her. 

“Famous?” He asked, incredulous.

“Oh yea. Sora was looking for you a while back. Wouldn’t let up about you.” 

“Pence!” Sora whined.

“What? It’s true!” Hayner added with a smirk.

“I still can’t believe you spent all that time working to wake him up just to not let him see you when he did.” Xion said, giggling into her fist. 

“Yea! RI-KU!” Sora now recovered from the teasing, joined in with Xion. Hands on his hips as he feigned annoyance, leaning into Riku’s space. 

“Now you’re ganging up on me! Maybe I should have stayed away.” Riku joked. 

“Nah, you’d have come back. You like us too much.” Kairi cut in. The group of them laughed as they continued on their way to the Bistro. 

To say Mr. Scrooge was happy to see them was an understatement, The old duck setting aside his own managing duties to come talk with them all. Sora had to turn down his request to help in the kitchens. Mr. Scrooge whacking him in the leg with his cane before leaving while muttering a “Bah! Lazy whippersnappers.” Throwing the group into laughter once again as Sora rubbed the spot on his leg and pouted.

They enjoyed their meals as they chatted without much more excitement. Friends catching up and enjoying each other’s presence. The conversation only ever halted when the topics turned to the lives of those not native to Twilight Town. All the keyblade wielders at the table unable to answer most of the gang's questions. Resulting in some awkward pauses that thankfully didn’t linger. 

Hayner, Pence, and Olette being very understanding, though Riku could practically feel Pence’s frustration even before finding out that he likes mysteries and conspiracies. Solving them, in particular. 

After lunch the group headed for the outdoor cinema. Which was, luckily, not packed with people as the movie had been out for a while now. So their large group of friends could easily find a few close benches to occupy. Riku enjoyed the movie for the most part, laughing when the character's antics resulted in silly slapstick. 

Riku couldn't help glancing Sora’s way every now and then. The brunet was seated in the row ahead of him and to the left between Roxas and Pence. From the angle, Riku had a decent view of the other teens' faces. Riku hoped the others didn’t notice if he tended to watch Sora’s reactions rather than the movie itself. The way his eyes scrunched up when he laughed sending a particularly warm feeling into Riku’s chest. 

As the movie caught Riku’s attention again with a perfectly timed joke, he finds himself laughing along with the others. Hayner failing to hold back snorting laughter beside him as the girls in front of him stifled their giggles in their hands. But among the chorus of laughter, Riku noticed a missing voice. 

His own laughter died quickly as he realized Sora hadn’t joined in. Instead, the teen sat still with his eyes closed, lips in a tight line for only a moment as he squeezed his eyes tight and lightly shook his head before blinking them open. 

Riku’s brow furrowed at the sight, watching Sora take a breath and give Roxas, who also noticed what was happening, a reassuring smile. 

Now facing Riku’s direction, Sora noticed him staring too. Catching his eyes and flashing another smile and a wave. A silent gesture expressing that he was fine. Riku didn’t completely buy it, but returned the smile nonetheless and turned his eyes back toward the screen. 

Riku still kept glancing toward his friend through the end of the movie, but nothing else out of the ordinary happened. The movie finished, credits roll, Scrooge Entertainment in large letters ending the feature. 

The group took their time leaving the theater area. Talking animatedly about the movie, their favorite parts and repeating the jokes they found the funniest. 

“You sure you’re alright?” Riku heard Roxas ask. His focus turning to what response he would get. 

“Yea, I’m fine. Really. Just felt like I was getting a headache for a minute there. It’s gone now.” Sora replied. 

“Heh. Laughing so hard you gave yourself a headache?!” Roxas laughs. 

“Hey! It was funny!” 

At sunset, how they could tell with a never-changing sky Riku would never know, they all found themselves atop the clocktower. As is tradition with this group. Though there were so many of them this time that lining up on the edge just wouldn’t work. Especially if everyone wanted in on the conversation, so they gathered back near the wall in a loose circle so they could all talk together while they enjoyed their ice cream. 

“So  _ all  _ of you really have those key swords?” Pence asked around the stick in his mouth. All the keyblade wielders looking between each other before answering. 

“What!? really? I thought Sora was the only one.” Olette said.

“Dude! And we thought you were special!” Hayner smirked toward the brunet. 

“Huh? I never said I was the only one!” Sora’s defense followed by laughs out of the group. Out of the many things they haven’t been able to talk about with the Twilight Town gang, how long they’ve had their keyblades was a pretty safe topic. They already knew the blades existed anyway. 

“But, out of all of us, Sora and Ven have been wielding them the longest.” Xion added. 

“Ven, for way longer than I have.”

“Oh yea. I’ve had my keyblade since before you all were born!” Ven chuckled, the other wielders joining him. 

“No way, you're the same age as us!” Hayner countered.

Ven sheepishly scratched at his cheek. “Well.. that’s a long story.”

“Basically, some things happened and he was stuck in an ageless coma for twelve years.” Roxas answered for him. 

“Is that okay to share?” Kairi asked. 

“I’m sure it’s fine. Not like anyone can use it against me. I'm just a little older than I look.” Ven smiled. 

“Wait, so you two seriously aren’t related?” Pence asked Roxas and Ven, who shook their heads. “I thought you were pulling my leg earlier!” 

Laughter continued on the top of that tower until long past sunset, the ever-present sun dipping the slightest bit below the horizon. Kairi stood to stretch and was soon followed by Ventus and Xion. The black haired girl being the first to bring up the late hour. “We should probably head back soon.” A few grunts of disapproval sounded but the group of teens readied to head off the tower, just the same.

Riku stood with the others. Sora right next to him, practically jumped to his feet. But then stumbled. The boy leaning dangerously far backward off the ledge of the tower. 

“Sora!” Riku said as he reached out, catching the brunet’s arm and pulling him back away from the edge just as his balance faltered and he began falling back. The actions so quick that none of the others seemed to notice that anything had happened. 

The younger teen squeezed his eyes tight and shook his head, just the same as he did during the movie, before looking back up to Riku. “Stood up too fast,” he gave him an apologetic smile with the excuse. Riku’s brows furrowed as he released Sora’s arm. He opened his mouth to question it but before he could, Sora had thanked him and Roxas pulled him away with Hayner as they all made for the stairs. 

Riku looked on as Roxas threw his arm over Sora’s shoulders. The two of them laughing at something Hayner said. 

Was Sora having headaches? Riku couldn’t recall if his friend having them before. At least, not before their last mission. Riku frowned. No. Whatever was done to Sora, Kairi had purified it. He was fine. Riku shook the thought from his head. Just overthinking things, that’s all. 

* * *

Everyone returned to the tower in time for Aqua and Axel’s cooking. As they ate, Yen Sid told them of their next missions. Riku assigned with Ven and Terra to Neverland, Aqua, Axel and Xion to The land of Dragons. And Sora, Roxas and Kairi were to go to the Kingdom of Corona.

Their bellies full and tired from the day, they all headed to bed.

Sleep comes easy enough that night for the young keyblade wielders. Riku drifting off to the sound of Sora’s soft snoring on the other side of the room.

Deep in sleep, Riku feels a pull on his consciousness, bringing him from his own sleep into a state of awareness. He imagined it’d be much like lucid dreaming, though he had no other reference for the feeling of awakening within a dream. 

Riku lingered in the familiar floaty feeling a moment before he felt the pull again. Tugging him to where he needed to be. Riku followed the tug, blinking his eyes open to a familiar sight. They’d just been there that day, after all.

Riku stood in front of the Twilight Town Station Tower. Not the usual setting for one of Sora’s nightmares. In fact, where was Sora? Riku looked around the empty terrace finding no trace of the younger teen. Usually, when Riku dives, he isn’t far from Sora.

As he pondered just why he arrived where he did, Riku feels a chill behind him and he whips around once again toward the station. Finding nothing, he furrows his brow. The eerie silence of this dreamscape is unsettling. Usually, there are nightmare spirits or even heartless conjured by the dream to fight. But here, Riku is alone. 

After scaling the tower to the favorite hangout spot and finding nothing once again, Riku takes to wandering the deserted streets down to town. The Tram Common looked the same as it did the day before, but unnervingly silent and deserted. More than once, he felt as if he were being watched, only for the feeling to disappear as soon as he turned to face it.

He could no longer even feel the pull that brought him here and he grew more and more uneasy, where was Sora? Riku began to pick up the pace, passing empty storefronts and the deserted outdoor cinema that had been so lively when they visited.

Riku jolted to a stop though when he rounded the corner to see that the patched up wall in the commons had been broken through again. The all-too-familiar forest beyond visible through the bricks. 

The mansion! Of course! A nightmare of Sora’s set in Twilight Town, Riku wanted to kick himself for having missed that. The mansion was the most likely place. 

Riku broke out into a run, the last of the brick giving way to the towering trees of the forest he knew all too well. The chill and feeling of eyes at his back returned, but he ignored it. Running to where he now knew Sora would be.

“Sora!” Riku called as soon as he entered that basement room. The blinding whites and blinking lights assaulting his vision. He blinked his eyes to adjust and made his way further into the room. Hoping not to see what he knew was waiting there.

There in the pod, stood a sight that Riku had hoped to never see again. Sora, floating, perfectly still, his face serene in sleep. “Sora!” He calls to him once again, banging on the walls of the pod. This wasn’t a memory, this wasn’t fourteen year old Sora having his memories repaired. This was the Sora he knew today, taller, stronger than the boy in the memories Riku fought to wipe from his mind. 

As tears pricked at the corners of his vision, Riku realized that this dream, this nightmare that Sora is having, is a fear they both shared. 

“Please.... Please wake up.” he said as he pressed his forehead to the pod, his fists still weakly pounding on the cold surface. This couldn’t happen, he can’t let this happen again. 

Then he felt it. So faint that he nearly missed it, was the pull. The tug on their link that originally brought him here. “Sora?!” His head snapped back up, hoping to see a glimmer, a change,  _ something _ that could show that Sora was responding. 

The tug again, faint as a heartbeat. Riku fished for that connection, that faint link bonding their hearts. The prickly feeling of being watched returned, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up as a chill crept up his spine. But he dare not look, focusing only on the link. 

The chill is replaced with warmth as Riku finally grasps the connection, the bond between them flaring as Riku hears a familiar melody, soft as a heartbeat. 

_ “Riku.”  _

Riku hears a mechanical hiss and opens his eyes, backing away from the pod as the petals fall open. Once clear, he rushes to the floating form inside. Just in time, it seems, as Sora is no longer supported in the pod, Riku catches him before he falls to the floor. Sitting down as he supports the younger teen in his arms. 

Sora’s eyes flutter open. And Riku adjusts so he can sit up on his own. “Riku..?” Sora says when he sees him. But his eyes quickly dart away from his, widening as Sora takes in the room they’re in. His breath quickening as he starts to panic. 

“Sora! Sora, it’s okay. You’re dreaming.” Riku tries to get the boy to look at him. But neither his words nor his eyes reach him. “Sora! It’s a nightmare, you weren’t put to sleep again!” 

Sora, still breathing hard on the verge of panicking, finally meets Riku’s eyes. Closing his own after a moment, Sora attempts to calm his breathing. Opening his eyes once again when he’s calm. “Y-you promise?” 

Riku’s eyes widen at how small Sora sounds, but answers confidently. “I promise. This is just a nightmare.” 

Sora takes a shuddery breath and leans down, his forehead resting on Riku’s chest. The older teen startled at the action, but raises a comforting hand to rest in his brown hair. “It’s just a dream. We’re okay.” he repeats. 

Riku feels a hand fist in his shirt, Sora shaking in his arms. “I… I don’t want to fall asleep again.” He says, and Riku knows exactly what he means. 

He isn’t sure how long they stayed like that, time isn’t really relevant inside dreams. But neither of the two of them moved until the dream ended and they awoke the next morning. 

* * *

“Kairi, watch out!” Sora called to her across the clearing. A few more heartless had materialized behind her as she was busy with the first ones. At the sound of his voice, she spun around, knocking back the flying heartless she’d been fighting and dodged the attacks coming from the new one. 

Sora let out a relieved sigh as he dealt with his own mini-swarm of heartless. Yen Sid said this world had been seeing a surge in darkness activity lately, but Sora hadn’t expected there to be  _ this  _ many! Suddenly the three man team he’d assigned made more sense. 

Roxas had been thrown through the treeline when the swarm appeared, Kairi and Sora both calling after him in a panic but were cut off from following him by the swaths of heartless. Sora’s worries only eased by the sounds of Roxas still fighting beyond the trees. He could handle himself for now, but much more of this and they’ll all be exhausted. Which would be very dangerous with them still separated.

Sora worked his way back toward Kairi as he fought. The onslaught seemingly endless as one Shadow dissipated only to be replaced with another. He’d been using so many spells that he felt drained even with his reserves of mana, and he knew the others were in the same boat. They needed to regroup and finish this, and soon. 

A now familiar dull throb pulsed in Sora’s head just then.  _ No, not now!  _ Sora thought, almost in a panic. Shaking his head as he tried to stave off the inevitable. 

“HAAAA” a flash of light cut through the enemies, Sora squinting through the light as well as the pain to find the source. 

“Roxas!” he called when he caught sight of the blonde emerging from the tree line. 

“Miss me?” Roxas replied with a smirk in his voice. 

“I’m not gonna miss you if you keep standing there! Heads up!” Kairi warned before she jumped, gathering her light around her in the air before unleashing it onto the swarm. Roxas and Sora ducked out of the way of the barrage of light. Sora, just grateful that his vision hasn’t started swimming yet, let out a chuckle at Roxas’ reaction as the light faded revealing a significant decrease in the heartless present. 

“Way to go, Kairi!” Sora cheered through the still throbbing ache in his head.Running back into the fray to wipe out the remaining dark forces. The heartless had stopped spawning, hopefully signaling the end of this long battle. 

The three of them were picking off the remainder of the heartless when Sora felt a surge of darkness once again. The throbbing pain in his head intensifying as the ground shook, another wave of darkness knocking them off their feet. 

Once again, Sora found himself on the ground. His vision slowly coming into focus as, unlike last time, the throbbing in his head turned to a sharp pain and he cried out. Straining to look around himself despite the pain, Sora found he was not the only one laid out on the ground. Both Kairi and Roxas lay motionless near him. The three of them completely surrounded by swirling heartless.

The panic in him flared. Fear. Worry. Anger. No, Rage. 

His emotions flared and seemed to burst. 

And Sora’s vision bloomed a burning red.

* * *

Back at the tower in Yen Sid’s Study, Sora, Kairi, and Roxas reported on their mission. 

“So then, the threat has been reduced. Well done, you three.” the Master said after they’d given him the details. 

“Thank you, Master.” Kairi replied for them. And with nothing else to ask about the mission, they were dismissed for the night. 

“Sora,” the Master called just as he was following the others through the door.

“Yes, Master?” Sora stayed. The study door closed behind him as his friends left.

“Your previous mission, and your resulting affliction, I’m to assume that nothing has been out of the ordinary these past days?” 

Sora averted his eyes from the master at the mention of it. “Oh, uh, yea. I’ve been fine. Just a bit tired the first few days. But I’m better now.” He said, hopefully convincingly as he left out the dizzy spells.

“Very good.” Yen Sid smiled that small smile of his. “The method used to wake you was not the traditional method, so I merely wanted to be sure we hadn’t missed anything.”

“I don’t think so. I feel great.” Sora smiled.

“That is good to hear. Again, good work today. Go get some rest.”

“Yes, Master. Goodnight.” Yen Sid merely nodded in acknowledgment and Sora turned to leave. His smile dropped as soon as he was out the door. Barely hearing it close behind him as he rushed down the stairs. 

* * *

Riku was startled awake by a scream. Jumping out of bed and across to Sora’s bedside in a flash. “Sora!” He called. The brunet already sitting up, holding his head in both hands as he fought to calm his breathing. 

Sora’s breathing calmed somewhat but he still remained in that tense position. “Sora, hey..” Riku reached a hand toward him, only for it to be slapped away. And just as quickly, the younger teen pushed past him. Nearly tripping over the sheets tangled in his legs before he bolted out the door.

Riku followed Sora as he jumped down the tower’s stairs and outside. Sora didn’t stop until he made it to the edge of the tower’s lawn. He just stood there, still breathing hard as he stared into the void of stars. 

Riku had stopped running then, approaching slowly. He could see Sora shaking, the nightmare he must have had clearly affecting him deeply. Riku frowned, he should have sensed a nightmare. Especially one bad enough to make Sora run off, but he didn’t feel a thing. “Sora?” An apology forming on his lips, but Sora spoke before he could voice it.

“Go away.” Sora’s voice was small, rough with sleep and tears. Riku could barely make out the words at first, his brow furrowing. But, despite what he’d said, Riku stayed. There were a few breaths of silence then, a small breeze chilling Riku through his pajamas. 

“Sora, I’m-” He started. Taken aback when Sora snapped back, interrupting him.

“I said,  _ go away _ !” He fumed, turning and walking away himself. Riku reached out, grasping at his arm. Mind blank from any reason, only full of undefined  _ need _ to reach him.

“Don’t touch me!” Sora flinched back away from his touch, snapping again. Whirling around to face him. Red rimmed eyes locked with his for just a moment, but shook Riku to his core nonetheless. 

“Sora, talk to me. I’m just worrie-” 

“ _ No you aren’t _ !” He snapped again, voice louder than before. “You don’t care about me! You weren’t there!” The outburst taking Riku aback, the words stinging even knowing that Sora is upset. 

“Sora…” his name was all he could say, no other words came to him for the sight in front of him then. Sora, small and vulnerable, looking down at the ground between them. Fists bunched in his own oversized t-shirt, as he stood shaking. 

“You weren’t there.” Sora sounded so broken when he spoke again. Shaking harder before looking back up at Riku with tears in his eyes. “I called for you! I needed you and YOU DIDN’T COME!”

Riku stood frozen. His hand still slightly outstretched as he watched Sora go, running again. Running away from him. His earlier suspicions confirmed. Sora had had a nightmare. 

And Riku didn’t feel the call.

Riku remained there, frozen, even as Sora re-entered the tower. Leaving him alone with his thoughts on the lawn. 

The Dream Link that they shared, was severed? That couldn’t be right. Riku had dived into his dream just the night before and didn’t feel anything-- wait, that presence.

_ CAAWW _

Riku jerked around at the abrupt noise. A bird? There were no wildlife at the Tower. He stared into the dark sky, searching. Then, high above, the darkness distorted as a pair of raven black wings flapped. The bird flying around the tower quickly before coming to rest and perching on a windowsill with another loud CAW. 

The bird now in full view, Riku’s eyes widened. Diablo. The pitch-black crow was unmistakably the favored pet of Maleficent herself. 

Immediately, understanding and determination flooded his senses. Riku, still barefoot and only in his pajamas, forced open a dark corridor, breaking the barrier around the tower, and stepped through it. 

It started with her, and if she was inviting him so boldly; that’s where he would go. That’s where he’d get the answers he needed. 

* * *

The night air was brisk and chilly as Riku emerged from the dark corridor in the Enchanted Dominion. The craggy path leading to Maleficent’s Castle even more foreboding and threatening in the dead of night. But neither the castle’s appearance, nor the knowledge of who was inside deterred Riku. He walked forward. 

Following the familiar traces of darkness through the corridors, and brushing past the big brute, Pete, along the way; Riku found who he was looking for. 

Swinging the door open to a small round chamber.

“What’s da big idea, Pal?” Riku largely ignored him but as he attempted to grab at his arm, Riku shook him off. Focusing his glare on the woman in the room. 

CAW!

From behind he and Pete, Diablo swooped into the room as well. Circling around it’s master once before resting at its perch near the table. 

Maleficent, still silent, moved to stroke the bird's feathers. 

“Buh-ta. BUAH!!” Pete stutters behind him, only now noticing Maleficent in the room. Again trying to get a grip on Riku to pull him from away “I I-I’m sorry, your malevolence. He-”

“Leave us.” Maleficent spoke, her voice just as icy as Riku remembered. 

“Wha-?”

“Leave us. Riku here is my guest.” Riku, no longer needing to fight against the brute’s grasp, shakes him off and takes a few more steps into the room. The stone floor cold beneath his bare feet. 

“Oh, u-uh, right. Of course, Ma’am.” Pete retreats and closes the door behind him. Riku watched as Maleficent waved her hand, the crow also leaving the room through a high window. Leaving only the Keyblade Master and Dark Fairy in the chamber.

“I’ve been expecting you, Dear Riku. Diablo tells me your sleeping hero has awakened, and yet, by your appearance and expression, you do not appear to be here to thank me.” Riku’s glare lessened in confusion before intensifying with his anger.

“Thank you?” He scoffed. “For cursing Sora? Not likely.”

“Curses cast, curses broken. The boy is awake, is he not?” She turns away as she speaks.

“Don’t turn your back on me! What did you do to Sora?” Riku yells, his body shaking with the anger.

Maleficent spins around again at his outburst. “What I’d  _ done _ was undone as swiftly as he woke!” She said with a raised voice, looking down at Riku. Her icy glare stifling his own rage, before her expression fades. Now back to her cold and calculated facade. "Any new affliction to the boy is not my doing.” She paused, as if in thought. “Perhaps... the blame falls to you."

“What?!” Riku snaps. “I didn't-"

"...do anything?" She interrupted, the insinuation of the words like ice in his veins. Riku’s eyes widened. 

“But.. Kairi. She..” 

“Kairi? Ah, yes.” Maleficent began. “That little girl doesn’t have the power to break my curse. I’ve made sure of that.”

“What do you mean? She woke him up.” 

“That does _ seem _ to be the case, doesn’t it? However, things are not always as they seem.”

“Clearly.” Riku bristled, patience running thin. “Just say what you mean.”

"Why Riku dear, isn't it obvious?" Maleficent leans in, not phased at all by Riku’s temper. "The key to awakening Sora's heart lies within your own."

_ Mine?  _ Riku merely glares at her. The dark fairy’s eyes peering into his own before she straightens with a sigh. “You really don’t see your own worth, do you?” 

“My worth? I’m here about Sora, don’t change the subject!” 

“Oh, but I haven’t.” Riku, once again, confused. But Maleficent only grows frustrated. “I give you an opportunity, out of the  _ kindness _ of my heart, and you squander it due to skewed perception of your own importance!”

“What are you talking about?”

“Where is that promise I saw in you those years ago, boy? Has the light blinded you so harshly?”

Riku’s fists clenched in the fight to stay calm. This isn’t getting anywhere with her running him in circles with her vague answers. Riku decides enough is enough. “We’re done here.” He says coldly, turning to leave. 

“True love’s kiss.” Maleficent’s voice returns at his back. The words stopping him in his tracks.

“What?” he looked back over his shoulder. Watching Maleficent gather her staff and walk toward the other exit. 

“Your answer. Were you not leaving?” She says. 

“Wait,” he calls, turning back to her fully. “what do you mean by ‘true love’s kiss?’” 

“Riku, I think you know what I mean.” She continued on her way through the door. 

“Wait!” Riku called as he rushed to the door she disappeared into. The passage beyond, left just as empty. She was gone. Riku left alone to ponder her words. 


	5. Chapter 5

Back in their room at the tower, Riku entered quietly.

He looked down at his sleeping friend. Peaceful expression on his face, a stark contrast to the last time he saw him earlier that night. He smiled, at least he didn’t look to be having any more nightmares.

Maleficent’s words ring in his head. He understood completely what she’d said, but couldn’t believe it to be true.  _ True love’s kiss. _ The notion was ridiculous. She was making fun of him. Riku couldn’t just kiss Sora. The idea alone made his face feel hot and his heartbeat quicken. He shook the thought away. There had to be another solution.

Riku recalled the day Sora was cursed, Yen Sid called for Kairi instead of letting Riku dive. The Power of Waking too dangerous to use, he’d said. Riku remembered feeling uneasy back then, but the feeling went away as soon as Sora woke. 

_ I ended up on the sidelines as Kairi woke him. I didn’t-  _

**_-do anything._ **

The memory of Maleficent’s words punctuating the thought. Her icy voice; a confirmation of what he already knew. 

Steeling his determination, Riku summoned his keyblade. She’d said the key was in his own heart. While it may not be what she was insinuating, there was one thing he could do; what he was denied to do before.

He took a deep breath, rose his keyblade, and dove.

Riku blinked his eyes open to a familiar sight, the dive virtually the same as the last time he’d dove in to wake his friend. He was falling through a black void, careening toward a distant light. One he knew was the bright stained glass representation of Sora’s heart. 

Riku’s eyes narrowed at the heart station in front of him. Now, it had been a while since he’d seen it in person, but it seemed noticeably dim, parts of it obscured completely. Riku’s suspicions only confirmed the closer he got to the stained glass. But it wasn’t the heart that was weaker, Riku could see a dark haze and brambles surrounding it. Proof that something was definitely wrong and that Maleficent had something to do with it. He breathed a sigh of relief, despite himself. The sight of a barrier around his heart was reassuring even when it shouldn’t have been. It wasn’t that Sora’s Light had weakened, it was only being obscured. Due to Maleficent’s curse, no doubt.

The relief was short lived, however. As Riku neared the haze surrounding Sora’s heart the darkness licked at his skin, leaving the feeling of burns and scratches. Slowing Riku’s dive until he was struggling against the barrier. The thorny brambles constricting and converging to his location, the sharp spines piercing and cutting into Riku’s skin.

“Let.. me… IN..” Riku grit between his teeth. “Sora…” he said, softer. 

Riku hissed as the Dark Fire flared, swiping across his face, the sting only barely fading as he closed his eyes. He  _ had _ to get to Sora, he was so close. 

He focused on their link. The link that they'd spent weeks strengthening. Riku vowed that he'd protect Sora. He became a dreameater for that purpose. Before he'd even consciously realized it. He became  _ Sora's  _ dreameater. He unconsciously forged an unbreakable bond between himself and his friend. That bond, that link; Riku's determination flared. He located the slack cord of their link, grasped at it against the waves of darkness. 

As if the darkness could sense what he was attempting, the barrier became more agitated, pushing and slashing against Riku's advances. Riku struggled against it, aching from the strain and the stinging retaliation from the barrier of thorns and darkness. In the end, the barrier proved too strong, succeeding in knocking Riku away from Sora’s heart. 

Riku tumbled away from the barrier, righting himself once again in the air before resuming the dive back down to the barrier. He just had to make it through. This darkness would not continue to trap Sora’s heart. Riku would make certain of that. 

As he approached the dark barrier again it pulsed with even more force than before. The green flames burned bright against the black thorns as the Darkness pushed back, Riku fought against the waves, his entire body ached from the strain, until the darkness pulsed once again, stronger. Knocking Riku, tumbling and twisting, back through the void. 

Riku hits the corner of the bed behind him, tumbling backwards into the shelves with a crash. He shook his head, his vision swimming as he tried to take in the room before him. Knocked from the dive, he felt drained. 

A sound from the other side of the room draws his attention. Blinking to focus in the dark, Riku saw another silhouette moving. “S-Sora?” he must have woken up at the sound of the crash. He groaned as he picked himself up off the floor, books from the shelves sliding off of him as he stood. Repeating his name once again when the boy doesn't answer. 

Riku winces, rubbing his head from the fall, then freezes. An all too familiar chill shaking him to his core. Riku’s head snapped up at the sensation, only for his blood to freeze in place at the sight in front of him. A pair of glowing red eyes, set into a pitch black silhouette, burning into his own. 

“... Sora?” Riku said his name once again, voice unsure and small this time. And again, no answer. The dark figure moving slowly atop Sora’s bed, glowing eyes never breaking contact with Riku’s. Wisps of darkness trailing behind him as he moved. Sora himself, having vanished from the bed entirely, was replaced with this dark figure.

Riku risked movement, slowly bringing a foot forward in a step. The single step proved to be a mistake, as the shadowy creature pounced. Riku only barely able to sidestep as Sora barrelled forward, catching Riku’s shoulder and throwing them both backward. 

Nearly as soon as they made contact, the darkness-cloaked figure let out a screech and backed away. Riku, now having hit his head twice that night, squinted through the throbbing pain. The creature screeched once again before jumping back, knocking the nightstand over in it’s haste to get away. 

Riku looked up in confusion as the creature cowered in the corner, low growl emanating from it as it focused it’s sharp red glare right back at him. With the dark figure now still, Riku could make out the silhouette more clearly and his heart sank. Even as dark as it was, Riku would recognize that spiky head of hair anywhere. 

“Sora…” the name escaped his lips. Struck with the realization that this was Sora, his best friend, corrupted by darkness. He tried to make sense of how and why, the many possibilities running through his head so quickly he could barely register them all. Was it the result of the dive? The curse? Something else entirely? 

Riku remembered the brambles woven around Sora’s heart. One of Maleficent’s trademarks. The curse was definitely still there. He had proof, if he could just get to Yen Sid- Riku froze his attempt to reach his phone as Sora reacted to the movement. Every tiny move Riku made, Sora flinched and hissed. Like a cornered animal desperate to escape a threat. So, getting help was going to be difficult, as no one seemed to have heard the crashes. Or ignored them if they had. 

The dark cloaked Sora was jumpy, stealing quick glances around toward the door and the window. Riku really couldn’t let him escape from there, even if he could survive the fall, Sora might just jump off world in his race to safety. Slowly, Riku eased himself over so he was blocking the way to the window. Sora’s bright eyes watching his every move. 

What should he do? Restrain him somehow? He wouldn’t use his keyblade, he couldn’t, that would only make things worse. And Sora was still Sora, even cloaked in darkness as he was, Riku couldn’t treat him as just another heartless.

But, as is typical, Sora gave him no more time to ponder, pouncing around Riku onto the other bed toward the open window anyway. Riku reacted fast to catch him by the waist. Sora’s claws caught and scratched the window frame as he was pulled away. 

The dark creature howled as soon as Riku grabbed him. The sound grating on both his ears and his heart. The pained screech echoed through the room as he wriggled and squirmed in Riku’s arms. Riku’s grasp, though firm, soon loosened with the force of the creatures' fight to free himself. 

Soon enough, the dark-cloaked Sora found traction on the furniture he’d been clawing at and pulled them both down, Riku never letting up his hold on the boy. Grasping a wrist or an ankle each time the other slipped out of his grasp. The creature began to fight back as every attempt to escape was thwarted. 

The two of them now grappling each other on the floor. Riku dodging swipes of Sora’s claws and holding him back. The two tumbling over each other, knocking into the beds and other furniture. 

Bruised and bloodied, Riku finally pins the creature to the floor. Both wrists captured and hips held down by his weight. Bright red orbs in place of eyes glaring up at him as they both panted for air. The body underneath him still thrashing and squirming against its prison. 

“Sora!” Riku gasped out between his breaths. The effort had no effect on the boy unable to recognize his own name. “Sora. P-please,” He barely recognized his own voice, broken as it was. Catching his breath as he stared down at the darkened silhouette of his best friend. Every bruise throbbing and cut stinging as adrenaline dissipated. 

Riku acted on impulse, only thoughts about stopping Sora from fleeing through the window. But, now that he has him pinned, what can he do? His phone was now even farther away than before, there was no possible way to reach it. With pinning Sora down, he effectively pinned himself in place to keep him there. 

He still had his keyblade, but what good would that do? It would only hurt Sora. Would he dare try to dive again? That’s how Sora got into this state in the first place. It was Riku’s fault, Yen Sid was right. The power of waking is too dangerous and unpredictable. He shouldn’t have tried, he didn’t-

_ -do anything? _

The ice of Maleficent's voice rang in his head once again. She was right, too. He didn’t have what it takes. He’s not strong enough. Her words now swirling in his head. Speaking of his worth and the curse that Kairi couldn’t break. He should never have gone to her. The witch spouted nothing but nonsense and vague answers.

_ I think you know what I mean. _

Sora jerked forcefully underneath him and screeched, Riku opening his eyes that he hadn't realized were closed as he adjusted his grip to make sure he wouldn't get loose. Bringing his face now dangerously close to Sora’s. His dark features; so foreign yet familiar. The same nose and unmistakable hair that Riku had known all his life.

_ The key to awakening Sora’s heart lies within your own. _

A new stinging in his eyes then, Riku at first believing sweat or even blood had dripped into them and he tried to blink it away only to realize he was crying. Tears escaping, running down his own cheeks. He huffed out a surprised breath when he realized, blinking again. The welled up tears falling onto the face below his own. 

Sora, who had still been squirming and hissing then stopped. The Dark figure of his friend now stock-still beneath him. Right now he looked more like the Sora he knew, and Riku could see beyond the darkness. His tanned face, freckles dusted across his nose and cheeks. One particularly dark freckle underneath one of his eyes. The red glow replaced the blue that Riku had memorized. How he longed to see those eyes again. The smile he loved so much.

Riku didn’t know what possessed him as he leaned down. Exhausted from the dive, the fight, and his own emotions. He was spent. Only the desire to save Sora, to see his best friend smile again left in him. More tears blurred his vision so he slipped his eyes closed. He didn’t register what he was doing until it was too late. The image of the boy he loved with all his heart filling his mind as soft, warm lips met his own. Light bursting in his chest with the feeling of it. 

The unbelievable feeling of  _ true love’s kiss. _

* * *

Awareness comes to Sora slowly. All he feels is the sensation of floating, suspended in cold water. Before warmth blossoms from within him, radiating from his heart. A strange tingling sensation lingering on his lips as the warmth spread. Feelings and senses returning slowly as the warmth engulfed him. 

Then, with the feeling back in his body, he felt himself be moved. The solid surface beneath him removed as it was replaced with a solid warmth pressed against his side as he was carried. The warm light blossoming wherever they touched. It felt good, Sora wanted to bask in that warmth forever.

The warmth left too soon as he was laid down again, and Sora wanted nothing more than to be able to voice his protest. The soft surface beneath him now a poor replacement for the warmth that he now missed so much.

“I-I’m so sorry.” a familiar voice said as Sora slowly drifted into consciousness. The feeling of warm fingers grazed his forehead and into his hair as the words were said. The sound of it like light, though the wavering, broken way he spoke tore at Sora. Why was the voice sad? What was he sorry for? He shouldn’t be sad, that’d make Sora sad. And why couldn’t he open his eyes? Sora strained to move, feeling his fingers merely twitch with the effort as he chased the warmth that left him once again. 

Long moments passed, Sora recovering from whatever had happened. He was finally able to move his arms and a groan escaped his throat as he moved. Squeezing his eyes before blinking them open to focus. 

Pulling himself up to a sitting position, Sora could see the state of the room. Books missing from the shelves, he could see a few strewn on the floor, pages crumpled. The side table between their beds knocked over, the lamp broken. 

In the dark of the room, he spotted Riku sitting on the end of his own bed, back to Sora. "R-Riku…?" He found his voice, though rougher than he expected. He cleared his throat before he continued.. "You okay? What happened here?" 

He heard Riku take a deep breath before standing. "I'm fine, Sora. Are you feeling okay?" He said as he walked over, sitting on the bed beside him. Small smile on his face, though Sora could see the sadness beneath it. 

“Oh uh.. I’m good. Feel great actually.” He said, now that he was thinking about it, he hadn’t felt quite right for the last few days, headaches getting worse and just feeling so cold. All of that was gone now. Sora thought as he recalled how he’d felt just before waking. Bringing a hand to his lips as he stared, lost in thought. Did he imagine the tingling on his lips before? But then Riku’s voice. “What about you though, why did you sound so sad?” He asked, looking back up at Riku not missing how his posture tensed for a moment before reverting back into neutral concern. 

“I was just worried about you.”

“But what did you apologize for?”

“Sora..” Riku’s voice again sounded guarded. “I.. it doesn’t-... All that matters is that you’re okay.”

That wouldn’t do. Sora leaned across the bed to his friend, grasping at his wrist in an effort to get Riku to look at him and not stare at the floor anymore. “Riku, no. Something clearly happened here and I heard you sound hurt. Yea, I’m okay, but I’m not the only one that matters here.”

“It’s nothing-”

“It’s  _ not!” _ Sora interrupted. “Why are you like this? Never letting me in. I know something is bothering you, so please. I want to help.” Which was true, but in the moment, Sora remembered the other events that had happened earlier that night, his voice lowering in guilt. “I’m sorry. For earlier. It wasn’t your fault.”

“Sora, that wasn’t-”

“No it is! I was scared and panicking and I took it out on you. I’m so sorry. I’ve felt like crap for the last few days and it wasn’t fair for me to yell at you.” 

Riku blinked at that, “You told everyone you felt fine.” Now it was Sora’s turn to look away. He knew he should have told someone, but he didn’t want to be a bother. 

“Heh…” he huffed out a bitter laugh. “Makes me a hypocrite doesn’t it?”

“Maybe a bit.” Riku said, a smile showing in his voice. Sora looked up to see the half smirk on his best friend's face, the corners of his mouth turning up at the sight. “But Sora, it really wasn’t your fault. If i’d have felt you call out to me, I would have been there in a heartbeat, you know that.”

“You didn’t- you didn’t hear me?” That doesn’t make any sense. They’d done it many times over the last few months. In fact, it’d been getting easier. Riku didn’t respond, only looked sad again. And Sora groaned, unable to help it. He flopped back down onto the bed and covered his eyes with his arm. “Ugh, that curse really messed me up if it did something like that even after it was broken.” he grumbled. 

“About that-” Riku said then, Sora lifted his head and arm to look at him from his lying position. Riku looked… nervous? His gaze once again turned to the ground. “The curse wasn’t broken like we thought.” He said simply. Sora blinked waiting for clarification that never came. 

So he asked, “ But Kairi broke it. I’m not still asleep, am I? I can’t still be cursed.” 

“No, not anymore.” Riku said.

“But you just said-”

“I know!” Riku had turned his face away, not looking at him. Sora sat up again, leaning to the side to try to see Riku’s face, but the other teen just continued to turn his head away. Sora gave up, sitting back again. “I- after you had that nightmare, I knew something was wrong. I’d noticed that you weren’t feeling well the last few days, but I convinced myself I was just seeing things. But after that.. When I couldn’t hear you call for me. That was it. Our connection couldn’t just break like that, right?”

“That’s right. I don’t think it would have happened so quickly, if it happened at all. You’re my best friend, and I can’t see our connection breaking at all without something outside making it happen.” Sora confirmed. Riku turned slightly back, still looking at the floor, but Sora could see his mouth twitch in a smile. A grin spreading on his own face with it. 

“So I, uh,” Riku continued. “I went to Maleficent.” 

“You what?!” 

“I needed answers. And it turns out she had them. Then I came back and tried to dive. There was a barrier there around your heart and I couldn’t get to you. It was the curse.”

“Dive? That’s what you did before to wake me up.”

“Yea. I was hoping it’d work this time too. But the barrier forced me out.” He then gestured to the bookcase. “I hit that and when I looked up to check on you… you were- there was darkness. You acted like a caged animal almost, covered in darkness. Your eyes were glowing red…” He trailed off. That, maybe, sounded familiar. Donald and Goofy had told him once that he’d used darkness to fight when they were in particularly bad situations. Sora never remembered though. 

After Sora said nothing, Riku continued; “That’s what happened in here. You were trying to get away, almost jumped out the window. And I had to stop you,” he paused, looking like he really didn’t want to continue. He slumped over, holding his head in his hands as he still didn’t let Sora see his face. The next he spoke was barely a whisper, but Sora heard it all the same. “And I broke the curse in the process.”

“You did? That’s good! But how? How do you know it’s broken? Do we need to check?” Sora was excited. After learning that it hadn’t been broken when they thought he was worried about what they’d do. But Riku said he broke it! That’s good news! “What’s the cure? We need to tell everyone in case Maleficent uses it again.”

“No!” Riku suddenly turned back toward Sora. Panic and... embarrassment? In his voice and expression before he quickly hid it away again. “I uh.. I don’t think the same cure would work for everyone.” He elaborated in a calmer tone, half turned away from him again. He couldn’t tell easily in the dark, but Sora could swear that he saw a tinge of pink coloring the tip of his friend's ear and cheek. 

“Why?” Sora asked simply, head tilting in confusion. 

Riku took a deep breath. “Maleficent.. She- I think she did it on purpose.” He covered his eyes with a hand, hiding his face. “Made it so I was the only one who could break it. That’s what she said. She told me what to do, and I didn’t believe her so I don’t know why I did it.” He took another shaky breath. Like it was hard for him to admit.

“Riku? Whatever you did worked, right? So it’s okay, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” Sora didn’t know why it bothered Riku so much, but no matter how much he wanted to know, he didn’t have to if Riku didn’t want to share. 

“No, I do. It’s not fair for you to not know.”

“You don’t-”

“I kissed you!” 

Sora froze as he was interrupted. Blinking rapidly as he tried to process what Riku had just said. He heard that correctly, right? He looked at Riku, still hiding, but Sora couldn’t mistake the flush on the back of his neck. White shirt contrasting with the pink that colored his skin. All the confirmation he needed. He’d heard right, Riku kissed him.

Sora couldn’t breathe, the information bringing context to the warmth he’d felt earlier, the tingle on his lips returning in phantom sensations as he felt his own face heat up. An image of Riku’s face popping into his mind before he could stop it. His imagination giving him the sight of a shy smile on his silver-framed face, beautiful aqua-green eyes gazing into his own and leaning in- Sora shook his head, flush deepening as his heart began to race. 

Something he’d never thought about before, now taking over his every thought. Sora wanted to know what it felt like, if it was anything like the warmth he’d wanted to bask in earlier. How it would feel to be that close to Riku, close enough to kiss. Sora liked hugging his friend, it was one of the best feelings. Especially when Riku hugged him back, encircling him with his arms and shielding him from the world. The one time when Sora didn’t mind his own height, though he’d never admit it. How amazing would it be to be hugging Riku, already feeling so warm and safe, and then leaning up to kiss him, Riku meeting him in the middle. Oh, how he wanted to try. Would Riku…?

Lost in thought, Sora didn’t realize when he’d spoken. “Would you do it again?”

“What? “ Riku turned toward him, eyes wide. Sora blinking out of his thoughts as he realized he’d spoken aloud. His face heating up impossibly further, flush extending down his chest too, he could feel it. 

Sora scrambled to make excuses, waving his hands in front of him as panic flooded his senses. “Wait! I said that out loud?! I didn’t mean. I mean.. aheh unless you want to. I wouldn’t say no. Who wouldn’t want to kiss you. You’re probably a great kisser, right? HAH! No! What am I saying? I’m gonna shut up now.” Sora clapped his hands over his mouth before he could embarrass himself further. Leaning back against his pillows as he brought his knees to his chest, in an attempt to hide. The sudden quiet left them in a bubble of awkward tension as the two simply stared at each other. 

The tension breaks when Riku exhales out what could almost be considered a laugh. Sora follows suit, finally breathing again after he realized he’d been holding his breath. “I thought you’d be mad.” Riku said then, relief in his voice.

“Mad? Why would you think that?!” Sora shot back up incredulously. Leaning toward Riku now instead of away from him. 

“I mean, I just-” Riku flushed again, lowering his eyes, but not turning away this time. Sora letting a small grin grace his face as Riku didn’t finish his answer. 

“Well, maybe I am a bit upset about it.” 

“I thought so..”

“It’s unfair! We kissed and you’re the only one who gets to remember it!” Sora grinned even wider as Riku looked back up to him, the disbelief plain on his face. 

“Wait, so you’re not mad that I kissed you without permission?”

“No.” he answered plainly. Then feeling the heat in his face return as he prepared to speak again, confidence gone. He swallowed the sudden lump in his throat and spoke.“Uh.. what I asked before.. I mean- If you had permission…”He took a steadying breath, eyes wandering everywhere except at his best friend. “Would you do it again?” He said the last part softly, unsure. Looking up at the other teen to gauge his reaction.

Riku appeared frozen, jaw slack and eyes wide as he stared back at Sora. Then he blinked as he collected himself. “A-are you seriou- I mean. Do you want-? Um…” Sora watched as he fumbled for words. Flush rising to his cheeks contrasting beautifully to the silver of his hair and his teal eyes in the starlight from the window. Sora’s heart leapt, he’d always known Riku was handsome, pretty even. But right now, cheeks flushed, in his pajamas in the starlight, Sora would say he looked beautiful. Hope rose in his chest as he watched how flustered he’d become at the question. 

He stayed quiet, giving Riku a chance to give a proper answer. The other teen noticing his expectant gaze and taking another deep breath. “Do I have permission?” He asked finally, voice small, but steady. 

“Yes.” Sora breathed out, anticipation building.

He wasn’t sure how he moved in that state of anticipation. But before he knew it, they’d both moved to sit on the bed. Cross-legged, knees touching between them. Sora grabbed one of Riku’s hands, the warmth he felt there so familiar. Neither of them spoke. Only one thing on Sora’s mind as his eyes flicked down to Riku’s lips. Slowly, together, they leaned forward. 

It started with a brush of their noses, breaths mingling for just a second before Sora felt warm lips meet his own. The sensation lighting all his nerves on fire. He was warm, almost too warm. Riku was the first to break away, stopping at just a chaste kiss. But Sora followed him as he left, chasing more. And Riku kissed back once again, permission given. One of them tilted their head slightly and oh, that was good. Sora got lost in the feeling; a hand fisting into Riku’s shirt, the feel of his quick heartbeat in his chest.

Then he felt the other’s hand at the side of his face, fingers in his hair. And they drew ever closer. Sora was probably in Riku’s lap by this point, but he couldn’t care. Not when every nerve was alight and his whole body grew hot. Another strong arm holding him there as they kissed. 

After what both felt like forever and not long enough, Sora eventually had to breathe. Breaking the kiss himself this time as he gasped. Eyes blinking open to Riku’s, right there, so close. The other looking up at him now as their position made Sora taller. Both flushed and gasping for breath. 

Sora might not remember their actual first kiss, but Riku wouldn’t mind calling this one the first. As the freckled brunette smiled down at him, arms around his neck and starshine in his eyes. Yea, this is much better than the first. They shared another kiss, a kiss of true love.


End file.
